Resume

Writing a résumé

There is a number of walkthroughs all over the internet, as well as structured engines. Just fill-in your information and your résumé is done. Still, if you wish to write your own, read the section below.

A résumé is not a work of fiction – the text must have a defined structure. It should not be more than two pages long but do not be too brief. Include all your previous jobs and functions.

No spelling errors! Spelling errors simply must not be in your résumé. Your résumé should also be stylistically correct – avoid slang terms but include expert terms or abbreviations to show that you know your field of expertise.

A résumé must give good first impression – keep it organized and graphically pleasant. You can opt for nonstandard graphics or fonts as long as the result is tasteful and neat.

The truth and nothing but the truth! Many people succumb to the desire to “improve” their résumé in some way – adjust employment duration or disregard certain employment altogether. What you get is a résumé dramatically different from the one an HR agency received from the same candidate several months ago. If an HR specialist notices the inconsistencies, the candidate will be considered unreliable.

Tip: have your résumé read by your friends. They might see what you don’t and point out unclear or inappropriate parts.

What does and does not belong in a résumé:

Forget about clichés. When describing your work, instead of boring phrases such as “responsible for” or “chief responsibility”, describe what specifically your job involved, what you achieved, what you were working on and what the result was.

Do not use justified alignment of text. Use a simple left-hand alignment, the alternative is unnaturally large spaces between words, which look bad.

Arrange your résumé in the best way possible. An HR expert first gives your résumé a quick glance not exceeding 20 seconds. Some do not require more than just 3 seconds. That period should be sufficient to persuade the hiring specialist that your résumé is worth detailed reading.

If you have a longer work experience, focus just on the last 15 years. Work experiences from ages ago have lesser importance.

Only include your highest achieved education. Do not mention elementary school.

Do not mention your height, weight and religious or political views in your résumé. There is also no need to specify why you left the individual jobs, to include the names of your supervisors, addresses of employers, specify salaries etc. Also, there is no need to include your photograph.